Pipes Magazine » General Pipe Smoking Discussion

1. 

   rockrat
   

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   Hey All...I have had a few meer lined pipes that I bought years ago. I don't seem to read much about them much though. A few questions have came up lately. Anyone smoke them? Likes? Dislikes? One problem I have noticed is the lining seems come apart and fall out in chunks. Kinda bummed me out, as it happened to one of my old favorites. Does anyone have any ideas why this might have happened? I'm not sure I want to buy anymore meer lined pipes. Thanks for your thoughts fellas.

   Posted 3 months ago #
2. 

   mikephillips
   

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   I had a meer lined billiard years ago, same problem with it, lining didn't last. Cracked in maybe 6 months and I gave it to my idiot brother. Don't know whether it's falling out yet, don't talk to him.

   I think the wood and the meer lining expanding and contracting at different rates is what causes this.

   And no, I can't recommend the purchase of another one either. Better off spending a little more and getting an actual meer. Taken good care of, it'll last as long as a briar.

   Posted 3 months ago #
3. 

   rothnh
   

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   I have two meer-lined pipes. Both smoke well, I treat them like meerschaums as far as cleaning (I carefully scrape out any tobacco/ashes left in the bowl. use a paper towel to "ream out" the interior of the bowl after each smoke and do not let any cake form) and am careful not to bang 'em around -- they are briar, but meerschaum is delicate and will crack and/or break rather easily.

   The meerschaum in some meer-lined briars is "pressed meerschaum," not "block." Which is cheaper and probably more susceptible to damage. How/why this happens is likely due to being dropped, banged, etc., which often won't be noticed, but when the resultant crack in the meer lining occurs, it's really just a matter of time before, eventually, it breaks down further and pieces start falling out.

   The good news is, you likely can still smoke the pipe -- just remove all the meerschaum lining. It's a briar pipe. You will have some "break-in" to do, but it will probably smoke well.

   With meerschaum-lined pipes, as you know now, they have to be treated gently. Also, you get what you pay for -- many, if not most meer-lined pipes are indeed pressed meerschaum and are priced in the lower mid-range. Some of the better ones of those are French make.

   I hope this answers your questions

   Posted 3 months ago #
4. 

   Uberam3rica
   

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   I have 1, and it's a pretty good smoker. I've had it maybe a year, and haven't had any problems yet.

   As long as I got a pipe full of baccy and a nose full of snuff, I'm a happy camper
   Cigarettes are an addiction, cigars are a hobby, pipes are a religion

   Posted 3 months ago #
5. 

   nsfisher
   

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   I have a French made Meer lined, Canadian style and it smokes fine. Bowl is a bit small for my liking though.

   If at first you don't succeed, have another bowl.

   Posted 3 months ago #
6. 

   samcoffeeman
   

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   I have a Kaywoodie Relief meerschaum that is probably 30+ years old. It is from an estate sale I purchased. I'm only keeping 1-2 of the pipes. This is one of them, because I never had a kaywoodie or a meerschaum. I haven;t smoked it yet, looking forward to trying it out. It doesn't look cracked.

   We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
   that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights,
   that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

   Posted 3 months ago #
7. 

   yadan
   

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   My experience with this was with a meer-lined Falcom. I felt the meer added nothing and reduced the bowl capacity - so I scraped it out of the bowl. IMO, block meer is wonderful, whereas meer-lined is mostly a gimmick.

   "I'm always easy to please since I'm always satisfied with the very best." - Oscar Wilde

   Posted 3 months ago #
8. 

   rmbittner
   

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   IMO, meer-lined pipes are marketed as the perfect pipe for beginners -- "No break-in required!" -- but are more of a compromised gimmick than a true solution. You don't get the great benefits of either a meerschaum (watching a carved pipe darken over time, experiencing a cooler/more neutral smoke -- because you're dealing with a lower-quality meerschaum wrapped tightly in briar) or a briar (creating a cake, tasting the impact of briar on tobacco).

   I read recently -- maybe it was in Still Searching for Pipe Dreams or whatever that sequel is called -- about a pipesmoker who had the meer lining removed from such a pipe. The man who did the job had never been asked to do such a thing before and wasn't sure it would result in a smokeable pipe. But he did the job and the pipe turned out to be a much better smoke than it had been with the meerschaum lining intact.

   I've owned one in my lifetime. It's long gone.

   Bob

   Posted 3 months ago #
9. 

   rlunderhill
   

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   Never had one of those. Seems fragile to me if it's a lining.

   Posted 3 months ago #
10. 

    crk69
    

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    I have six in total, three NOS, and three new manufacture. The NOS are still holding on very well considering they were all made in the 70's, and the new ones are already falling apart.. I still enjoy smoking them and will buy some more eventually...

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    Posted 3 months ago #

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